Nigeria to register biometrics at border under plan to curb conflict between farmers and herdsmen

Nigeria’s Minister of the Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau has announced the launch of a project to biometrically register entrants into the country to monitor the movement of people, goods, and livestock as it attempts to deal with a longstanding conflict between farmers and herdsmen, the Premium Times reports.

Dambazau said the project is necessary under ECOWAS’ free movement treaty, and appealed to the country’s media and citizens to consider the conflict as a national issue.

“60 per cent of the people in West Africa are Nigerians. You need to know the number of Nigerians who cross the borders to other countries to look for a livelihood. It is important for us to see how we can create a balance between the implementation of the protocol and the security of our borders,” said Dambazau. “We have introduced the use of biometrics in other to ensure that we take account of every person that comes into Nigeria.”

As the registration is being carried out, Nigerian police will collect weapons under an apparent amnesty, before actively searching out and prosecuting those illegally carrying arms.